6:26 AM:
#52 #67 #76 #78 52nd, 67th, 78th, 76th. PCC buses, the gates are closed for
the holiday. Will be open again on Tuesday. Use your gate closure reroutes.
6:41 AM:
#52 #67 Lines 52 & 67. The gates to PCC are open. Regular route into
College.
#76 #78 78th, 76th. PCC buses, the gates are closed for the holiday. Will be
open again on Tuesday. Use your gate closure reroutes.
7:21 AM:
#76 #78 UPDATE. Line 76, 78. PCC Sylvania gates are open Today. Please
follow regular route. thank you.
Also note that Line 44, which serves the Sylvania campus, is not included
but Line 76, which doesn't serve any campus, is (but may have been included
due to interlining).

Hanley, who started his career driving a bus in Brooklyn in the 1970s,
cited a case in 2004 where a driver in Oregon was killed when her bus
rolled over her after she didn’t properly set her brake. She was running
behind schedule and was racing to get to a bathroom, according to news
reports.

Attention all Oregon state taxpayers

Through our tax system, the State of Oregon gives each tax-paying
Oregonian a $50 gift. But you can't keep it. Instead, you must either
pay it back in state taxes -- or donate it to a qualified political
campaign or cause.

To put it another way: By donating $50 to a
political campaign of your choice, you can reduce your taxes or increase
your refund by that same $50 (assuming
you pay at least $50 in taxes). That's right: it's a full 100% credit,
not a deduction. Better yet, if you are married, the state allows a $100
credit. I know that's small change for the Koch brothers, but it's an
opportunity for the rest of us to have our say too.

267.130 Additional compensation prohibited. No officer or employee of the
district shall offer, solicit or accept money or any other thing of value as
a consideration, in addition to the salary paid the officer or employee by
the district, for services performed within the scope of the official duties
of the officer or employee. [1969 c.643 §13; 1971 c.23 §8]http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/267.html

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The O says, "Kill the Lake O. streetcar"

They said it the day after Christmas, when nobody would notice, but still -- they said it.
When even the O is against something shiny and
Goldschmidtty, you know it's a screaming waste of money. The nattering
nabobs on the Lake O. City Council can keep pushing this for Homer
Williams if they like -- they may soon be rewarded by getting to spend a
lot more time with their families.

Passengers noticed something strange smelling in the bus so dispatch had the driver take the bus back to the garage. The smell turned out to be a battery problem. The driver collapsed when he walked into the garage. The Trimet "safety team" told Joe Rose that his collapsing had nothing to do with the "battery problem.

Ok
so sick of some of the white shirts here at this fuckin company do they
not remember what it is like to be a driver aparently not because they
regulary and consistantly treat us like we are just scumbags and all we
want to do is get out of work and nreak all the rules. Mabye remember
what it was like when you were in these sboes with mngt regulary fucking
us ebery which way come on people you people will suffer every which
way we xo when it all comes down too it you people are no better tban us
so its about time you start acting like it fuck just fucking disgusted
by all the bullshit at this company (name removed)

Ms Tan said: "This is especially so for bus captains, upon whom the core of our business depends on."
Ms Tan reiterated that "special measures have been put in place"
to ensure the bus drivers are not overworked. On average, its bus
drivers work about nine hours each day, she said.
In recent weeks, there have been accidents involving public
buses as well as news reports about bus drivers who lost their way. A
female passenger is also in a coma after a bus captain allegedly hit the
brakes abruptly, causing her to fall and hit her head.

Fact #1 – On November 30, 2011 a Preferring of Charges towards President Jonathan Hunt was signed by more than ten (10) members in good standing and submitted to ATU757 office. The charges were in writing and were specific. This was submitted at least thirty eight (38) days before the scheduled January 8, 2012 Union Meeting.Fact #2 – On December 4, 2011 a Preferring of Charges towards President Jonathan Hunt was presented to President Jonathan Hunt and Financial Secretary Evette Farra (received a copy for the office) at the schedule Meeting. These charges were in writing; they were specific and were signed by more than ten (10) members in good standing in the L.U. or J.C. This was submitted at least thirty five (35) days before the scheduled January 8th, 2012 Union Meeting.Fact #3 – As of December 24, 2011 at 3:00pm there was no postings of either charges at Center Street Garage Transportation Drivers Room Union Board or on ATU757’s website.Fact #4 – On page 114 and 115 of Amalgamated Transit Union Constitution and General Laws and located online at http://www.atu757.net/22_3.html is section 22.3 The Preferring of Charges.

Question #1 – If all the components of section 22.3 is not met can the charges be presented at the January 8, 2012 Union Meeting?Question #2 – What stops two Preferring of Charges towards an officer that was in writing; that was specific; each was signed by more than ten (10) members in good stand of a L.U. or J.C. and was submitted with more than thirty (30) days before the January 8, 2012?Question #3 – Is it not the duty of all officers to assure contemporaneously notice is provide to all members? (It was not done. Why?)Question #4 – Is this not a clear example of how our officers are not assuring that our constitutional rights are being followed and protected?

Like all
of you, I will be gathering with my family and friends during the
holiday season. During times like these I have the greatest
appreciation for the work we do as a Union. I don’t have to look any
further than the people that I love and care for to find the inspiration
I need to do what I do.

I know it’s the same for you. They are
the reason we put up with the long hours and inevitable frustrations of
union work. They are the ones we fight for. They are the ones to whom we
hope to give a better life. And because of them, I think there is no
better work that we could do on the face of this earth.

I want to thank each and every one of
you for all that you do for your members and for the Union. And I look
forward to continuing to fight the good fight with you in the coming New
Year.

Bus
Stop POP! Is a form of community education and reclamation that turns
neglected bus stops into the center of community celebration. At least
once per month EPBS Project will POP up at a bus stop in East Portland
that needs some community love. We’ll offer riders hot beverages,
snacks, information about the project and OPAL and an opportunity to
reclaim the bus stop as community space through active participation.
Bus Stop POP is about having fun and building community!

Meet at 4pm at the SE corner of 82nd and Powell (Carl’s Jr. parking lot) today!

There is an anticipated $12-17 million shortfall in TriMet’s operating budget for next year. In response, we’re given a false dilemma of a survey (as OPAL put it,
“big fare hikes or really big fare hikes!”) where we’re presented with
the illusion of choice on “some of the options” being considered –
you’re not given all the options, just a few of them. Then after you’re
done deciding how much service you want to cut and how high fares should
increase (since you absolutely have to pick those to meet the $17
million mark), you can submit your answers to TriMet.

Funny, for it being our core business and what we are striving to preserve, it seems to be the first place we’re looking to cut.
But okay, YOU said it. Now I’m going to hold you to it.

Please call Speaker Boehner at 202-225-0600.
Tell the person who picks up the phone: “Speaker Boehner should be
ashamed of himself. He needs to get his House in order, stop the
partisan games and extend unemployment aid immediately.”

People that know me understand that over the past years I
have spent quite a bit of time studying Trimet management and the intricacies
of their operation.

I associate with others that also have spent a great deal of
time studying the operations of Trimet, we have together sort of a “Trimet club”
so to speak.

The blog that I am associated with is not just my material;
the things you see on that blog are actually supplied by quite a few other
people besides me.

Any subject matter that you study over a period of time
gives that person an unique insight into that particular topic.

So I consider myself somewhat of a “authority” at evaluating
Trimet policies and public statements.

That is why I think it’s a fairly safe bet that the new “budget
crisis” is just another smoke and mirrors campaign dreamed up by the executives
of this organization then foisted on the public and the employees.

Think back to the first round of “crisis”, remember, the threatened “lay
offs”, the “furloughs”, the “demotions”.

There was no new bus drivers hired for two years. (Alas the
management continued growing however)

Remember all the gnashing of teeth during that time, I sure
do.

Then not too long ago “everything was ok again”.

All the demoted personnel were once again promoted back to
their original ‘white shirted’ positions, a whole slew of ‘top executives’ were
hired, and bus operators were once again being hired in mass.

Now here we are again, back to the ‘we are going to be in a
budget crunch’.

Either the management is completely incompetent, or they are
intentionally manipulating public opinion.

I pick the latter. I said after the first round of cuts that
this would not be the end of the cuts, meaning the bus cuts, and it appears
that I was correct.

The unemployment picture is supposedly better than it
had been, but now they are facing another ‘crisis’.

I think they are facing a crisis alright, a crisis of ‘expansion management’.

Fred Hansen came in here and along with Neil MacFarlane
decided this transit agency was now going to be a method of “economic development” and
social engineering. Getting people to where they needed to go became secondary.

The planners also miscalculated when considering available
tax revenue. Apparently they thought that tax revenue would continue growing
each and every year to god knows when.

The fact that all of a sudden tax revenue missed projections
hit them by surprise.

In 1991 Trimet
received $82,549,119 in employment taxes

In 2010 that
figure was $236,022,862.

That’s about a
300% increase in revenue in ten years.

With three times the amount of revenue available 10
years ago, they now are preaching “we are in trouble” to the public and the
employees.

So who’s really to blame in the current crisis?

Obviously management bungling has created the crisis, the
more money they get the more money they spend.

The lame attempt to blame it all on union health benefits is
pathetic.

This latest public relations ‘tool’ that was developed by
the Trimet ministry of propaganda is nothing but more bullshit coming from an
agency that has become expert in slinging the bullshit.

As you may have heard, the US government has decided to stop selling paper savings bonds, effective January 1, 2012. TriMet therefore has to change the NSC Safe Driving Award and Operator of the Year programs, which have in the past awarded paper savings bonds. A team of Finance and Operations staff determined that the best approach was to put the money in the employee’s paycheck. That way, employees get the money sooner and can spend or invest it as they choose—including by buying electronic savings bonds fromtreasurydirect.gov.

Here’s the bottom line:Thevalueof financial awards through these two programs will not change, but theformatwill, effective January 1, 2012.

It's more than interesting that our current union contract contains numerous 'side letters' that are not available for members to inspect.
The contract is available to us, so why aren't the side letters available?

More than 3000 school buses, catering to
around 400 schools in the city, will stay off the roads on Tuesday to
protest the stringent rules drawn up by the Regional Transport Authority
and the subsequent harassment they have been facing from both
authorities and political parties.

The proposal by Pally and fellow board member Allen Capelli represents
less than a quarter of the $93 million in service cuts the MTA made in
June 2010, when it killed two subway lines and 36 bus routes. The pair
say the MTA can still cut hundreds of non-transportation positions to
help fund much-needed service.

Boy this sure sounds somewhat familiar doesn't it, those of us that were here in 2008:

Assistant general managers at three southern Brooklyn depots said they knew many of the buses sent out into the storm were getting stuck. But they kept dispatching buses because they lacked authority to change service schedules.
When the bus division’s radio system crashed, some bus drivers who got stuck in the storm didn’t use their personal cell phones to call supervisors. They told investigators they believe NYC Transit rules prohibiting drivers from using cell phones remained in effect under any conditions.

As we have seen and heard for the past couple years now, TriMet has claimed financial
impairment. Even though TriMet’s ridership has increased significantly by recent reports,
TriMet’s General Manager Neil McFarlane recently made a plea to the public, asking for ideas
and suggestions as to how TriMet can save taxpayer dollars. TriMet claims it is facing a
2013 budget shortfall of 12 to 17 million dollars. One thing TriMet and General Manager
McFarlane didn’t tell the public, is that they could save multi-millions of taxpayer dollars
annually, right now, on their own.

Back in 1997, TriMet was one of the first transit agencies to deploy an advanced CAD/AVL (computer aided dispatch/automatic vehicle locator) system. As it approaches its fifteenth year of service, this system—which we call BDS (bus dispatch system)-is far from “state of the art.” In fact, the BDS is incapable of complying with a pending Federal Communication Commission (FCC) mandate. So beyond old age, the BDS needs to be replaced to meet FCC requirements.
The new equipment on board the bus will be different but the basic function—sending and receiving voice calls and text message to/from Dispatch—will be the same as the current BDS; and the menu is designed to be intuitive and similar to the existing system. Like the existing BDS, the new system will also provide Dispatch with information on the location of your bus and its status (e.g. late, early, on/off route, etc.).
The new BDS will be rolled out on TriMet buses in 2012. Operator training will begin in February 2012. Merlo garage operators will be the first to be trained and the first to operate the new BDS. By the end of April, initial training of all operators should be completed.

We have all heard of the poor passenger WHO WAS HURT riding bus 9 when a bicyclist cut off the bus.
Trimet says they are "not responsible" to pay for damages when its not a case of negligence.
SO WHAT? Reach into that pot of gold and DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ONCE and pay the guys (and whoever else) medical expenses!
I have very little doubt that a good lawyer could easily beat them in court on this.
Maybe David Sale's lawyer for example.

The TRIBUNE has published a story which implicates one of our BOARD MEMBERS in the operation of an illegal parking lot.

What's wrong with Tiffany Sweitzer?For the last four meetings she has left the meetings as soon as the
public testimony begins.
We are sure she is a very busy woman, but never hanging around to hear
the public comments shows a complete lack of empathy for the transit
riding population.
If she feels she is too busy to actually attend the meetings to the end
then maybe she should resign or be replaced.

Permits
I'm not sure it's known why it wasn't pursued back in 2008.
There's some other complaints for overgrowth and weeds, too.
Overall, I think the real problem may be that properties with no buildings
on them get charged at a low rate. This means that owners can be
discouraged from building, and that the carrying cost is low.
Specifically, taxes on the lot are only about $12,000. Even if that is for
only a quarter of the block, it just requires 10 cars @ $100 a month (which
is what I think the rate was) to pay for them.
http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?propertyid=R541382&action=Assessor

RTD | Our PrioritiesSafe service
Your safety is our top priority.On-time scheduled service
RTD riders expect and deserve on-time service. If your service is delayed more than 30 minutes and the delay was not caused by inclement weather, unplanned traffic or an event beyond RTD’s control, we’ll compensate you with a free ride coupon. Exceptional customer service
We want you to be satisfied with every trip you take on RTD, plain and simple.Clean vehicles
We promise that all of our vehicles will be clean and ready to take you to your destination.Clear communication
We promise to listen to you and respond to all of your inquiries.

There is a discussion going on at a Facebook group regarding audio/visual recording of operators.
I for one SUPPORT the use of audio/video in our buses.
I did it voluntarily for about a year before the country got hysterical about things like that.
It will be much more useful to us than harmful against us.
As long as operators have access to files and the rules are clearly defined then I support audio/video on operators.